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Holden Cruze CDX Sportwagon is a must for every small wagon shopper to try out

Cruzeholdenits own inwagonworldHolden’s small wagonjumps up the queuethanks to Aussie input.NEIL DOWLING reports

HOLDEN CRUZE SPORTWAGON CDXPRICE: $29,040WARRANTY: 3 years/100,000kmCAPPEDSERVICING: $740 for 3yr/60,000kmSERVICE INTERVAL: 9mths/15,000kmRESALE: 54 per centSAFETY: 6 airbags, ABS, ESC, EBD, TCCRASHRATING: 5-starENGINE: 1.8-litre 4-cyl petrol, 104kW/176NmTRANSMISSION: 6-spd auto; front driveTHIRST: 7.4L/100km; 91RON; 175g/km CO2DIMENSIONS: 4.7m (L), 1.8m (W), 1.5m (H)WEIGHT: 1410kgSPARE: Full size

WAGON and sports are wordsthat are as compatible as saladand tasty.

But that hasn’t stopped manycar makers, who insist thatthere’s sports-car performancein every station wagon theymake. Holden follows suit.

The Cruze wagon is called aSportwagon but its engine per-formance is as invigorating asdiced cucumber.

But though the drivetrain istame, the rest of the wagon is areal surprise and enough toelevate this car to one thatevery small wagon shopperneeds to drive before layingdown the cash.

VALUE: It’s not a bargainand it sits alongside some equal-ly impressive wagon rivals —i30 at $24,990 and Golf at $29,490,for example — but I’d argue thatit has some winning features.It’s a fun drive — bet that sur-prised you for a wagon — andhas tempting ownership costs.

The service program for threeyears is a very reasonable $740.

Standard kit is also good withleather, heated front seats, alloywheels, rear park sensor and asix-speaker iPod/USB audio.

A diesel version is only $750extra and may be a better deal,though the three-year servicecost is much higher at $1340.

DESIGN: The Korean-builtwagon repeats the style of theAustralian-made sedan andhatch but gets almost Europeanwith its neat tail.

Adding a longer back endhasn’t made the rear look bulkyso the wagon retains the attract-ive lines of its siblings, much inthe same way as the Golf wagon

relates to the hatch version.Cabin trim is nicely subdued

and the use of leather will makeowners with young childrenhappy when it comes to clean-up time.

Clear instruments, a logicalswitchgear sequence and suf-ficient storage make this aworkable family car, aided bythe long boot.

TECHNOLOGY: Proof thatHolden engineers are worldclass lies in how well thiscar handles.

Yes, the 104kW/176Nm1.8-litre four-cylinder engineis average but the rest of thechassis, the suspension and thesteering are perfectly co-ordinated. So good, in fact, thatthey outweigh the unenthusi-astic engine.

The Cruze also gets electricassist steering, all-wheel discbrakes and a six-speed auto-matic that smothers some of theengine sins.

There are also 17-inch alloyswith a full-size spare and avoice-recognition Bluetoothfunction for the phone.

SAFETY: The wagon enjoysall the safety features of thesedan and hatch including afive-star crash rating, elec-tronic stability and tractioncontrol, brake assist, heatedmirrors and a rear park sensorand full-size spare.

DRIVING: The chassis is sogood that it gets very close tonegating the engine’s averageperformance.

It’s a welcoming car — onethat fits well from the first timebehind the steering wheel —that immediately impresseswith its confident road holding.

Its nicely-weighted steeringfeel is a commendable effort foran electric-assist unit.

Great chassis balance masksinherent understeer — up to apoint — making it a fun drive.

Ride comfort is generally topsand only shows some abrupt-ness and clunks over ruttedground at low speeds.

The engine is a serviceableunit but feels technically de-ficient. No doubt it suits its city-suburban market.

It has very good low-speedresponse for quick accelerationbut by the time the tacho’sshowing 3500rpm the power istapering and the engine noise isincreasing. By 5000rpm you’dprefer to be somewhere else.

The six-speed auto does adecent job of shuffling thetorque to the front wheels.

VERDICT: Great effort. Thediesel may be a better buy. Thesprightly 1.4-litre turbo-petrolengine is sadly not available inthe wagon.

The writer is on Twitter@cgdowling